Kampen, Hasselt, Zwolle

Thanks to the IJssel, the famous Kamper cogs were able to enter Germany quickly, while the Zuiderzee was on the other side. This brought a lot of prosperity to Kampen. The rich facades of the city and the Koornmarktspoort still show that. Hasselt was also given market and toll rights, allowing it to join the Hanze in 1367. Thanks to the Vecht, Zwolle became an important trading partner for the Hanseatic cities. The city itself only joined the covenant in 1407. Traces from that time are, for example, the Sassenpoort, the Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren, affectionately called the ‘Peperbus’, and, of course, the star-shaped fortress that was built during the Hanze period. This can be seen in the painting ‘View of Zwolle’ by an anonymous artist in the Stedelijk Museum. The Hopmanshuis or ‘the house with the 99 windows’ on Rodetorenplein also dates from this period. The Hanze was abolished in 1669 when only three German cities were members of the once-large Hanseatic union with more than 200 members. Yet, Hanseatic cities are often proud of their past. That is why a Hanseatic union was started again in 1980 in Zwolle, where the cities Deventer, Zwolle, Kampen, Groningen, Oldenzaal, Harderwijk and Zutphen are committed to working together in the tourist and cultural field.